Project Purity
by robotcowboy19
Summary: Sam was just an average Vault 101 citizen. Little did she know that she had been lied to her entire life and that her destiny awaited her in a place she thought she would never go. Outside. Good luck Sam.
1. Prologue: James and Catherine

**A.N.**

**Hello everybody, seeing as this is my first big fanfiction I would just like to start by saying that this story is going to take a while. I will upload chapters as quickly as I can, but I'm planning on later chapters being a lot longer than this one and combined with school and other stuff I might not be able to get them out incredibly quickly. This chapter is just the prologue and therefore is shorter than what I want to do later on, but I hope that you guys enjoy it.**

**Prologue: James and Catherine**

War. War never changes.

Since the dawn of human kind, when our ancestors first discovered the killing power of rock and bone, blood has been spilled in the name of everything: from God to justice to simple, psychotic rage. The Romans waged war to gather slaves and wealth. Spain built an empire from its lust for gold and territory. Hitler shaped a battered Germany into an economic superpower.

War never changes.

The end of the world occurred pretty much as we had predicted. There were too many humans and not enough space or resources to go around. War was still waged over the resources that could be acquired. Only this time, the spoils of war were also its weapons: Petroleum and Uranium. For these resources, China would invade Alaska, the US would annex Canada, and the European Commonwealth would dissolve into quarreling, bickering nation-states, bent on controlling the last remaining resources on Earth.

In the year 2077, after millennia of armed conflict, the storm of world war had come again. The destructive nature of man could sustain itself no longer. In two brief hours, most of the planet was reduced to cinders. The earth was nearly wiped clean of life. A great cleansing, an atomic spark struck by human hands, quickly raged out of control. Spears of nuclear fire rained from the skies. Continents were swallowed in flames and fell beneath the boiling oceans. Humanity was almost extinguished, their spirits becoming part of the background radiation that blanketed the earth. The world was plunged into an abyss of nuclear fire and radiation.

But it was not, as some had predicted, the end of the world. Instead, the apocalypse was simply the prologue to another bloody chapter of human history. For man had succeeded in destroying the world – but War, war never changes.

In the early days, thousands were spared the horrors of the holocaust by taking refuge in enormous underground shelters, known as vaults. But when they emerged, they had only the hell of the wastes to greet them - all except those in Vault 101. For on the fateful day, when fire rained from the sky, the giant steel door of Vault 101 slid closed... and never reopened. It was here you were born. It is here you will die. Because, in Vault 101: no one ever enters, and no one ever leaves.

Life in Vault 101 is about to change. For the scars left by the war have not yet healed and the Earth has not forgotten –and War, war never changes.

**November 17, 2257**

Catherine looked up from the copy of Programmers Digest that she had been reading.

She gazed around the room she was sitting in. It was a very small room with metal walls and a rusting floor. There were large pipes running across the ceiling and the walls. A small bed covered in a green blanket was under one of the pipes and across from it was a desk with Catherine's terminal. In one of the corners there was a green leather chair and by the door was a table with a small electric fan and an empty bottle of scotch.

She started to smile as she thought about how her husband James had recently acquired a newfound love for the drink. He had picked it up from one of the men that had been bringing supplies to them here at the project. His name had been Larry an older guy probably about forty-five with a whitish red bear and big bushy eyebrows. The man liked to smile a lot and he was always cracking jokes whenever he came around. She started to think back to the very day.

It had been a very good morning.

The tests were running smoothly and they were coming out as she and Madison had suspected. She had been reading through a report that had been delivered by her Madison when suddenly she heard a whoop of Joy.

When she went to inspect what had made the noise. She found her husband James nearly bouncing up and down as he sprinted towards her.

"What's got you so happy" she asked.

"I got that blasted radio to work."

"That's it. That's all that happened. From what I heard it sounded as if you had just learned the secrets of life." She was in disbelief. She had been expecting something a little grander.

"Catherine, this is the most important thing that's happened all week. Now there will be no more silence, no more boring days filled with nothing, and no more madness at the fact that I am the only person who works in this danged office." As he finished with his ramblings he started to leap in the air once more.

She just smiled at the way her husband was acting. She was about to tell him to shut up when they were interrupted by a familiar voice.

"What's all the yelling about?"

Catherine and James looked over to see their friend Larry. His wrinkled face displaying a wide smile and a sparkle was in his eyes.

James rushed past Catherine to greet Larry as he explained about how he had fixed the radio.

Larry chuckled at James' excitement. "Well, then it looks like were in need for a bit of a celebration" he said. "So it seems mighty lucky that I just happen to have brought a couple of bottles of scotch with me."

James had been hooked since

Catherine brought herself out of the happy memory.

She looked back down at her magazine. She wanted to finish the article that she had been reading but she knew that she had a report due and that she might as well get it over with. She walked over to the desk and set her magazine down. She pulled open the top drawer of the desk and grabbed a blank holotape. She inserted it into the drive on the side of the terminal and then started to look in the drawer again. It took her a few minutes but she finally found the microphone, unraveled the wire, and got it hooked up to the terminal.

After opening the program that would allow her to record and making sure the uplink was connected to the disk drive she started the report.

"Today we started testing the theories on different batches of water. The first batch worked fine and the third worked excellently but the second batch slightly disturbed us. That batch of tests was inconclusive, but Madison and I are convinced it's a problem with the second filtration system."

At that moment James walked in to the room. He was smiling as he hanged his overcoat next to the door and walked over so that he could stand behind Catherine. He started to rub her shoulders and leaned in so that his head was resting on top of hers. Catherine looked at him and gave him a warm smile before continuing to work on her report.

"We're going to recalibrate the equipment and try again tomorrow so that... James, please, I'm trying to work. Now's not the time! ...So that's the next step. Assuming we get the results we need, we'll move on to... James!"

He had started to kiss her along the neck. She looked up at him and pushed his face away.

"Stop, I need to finish these notes!" He looked at her with a pouting look on his face. She ignored the look and continued on with the report.

"...We'll move on to diagnosing the issues with the radiation dampeners that should... Owww! James!" He had softly bit her ear and she started to laugh softly.

"Now? We really shouldn't."

She leaned into kiss him before realizing that she had left the microphone on. She turned back to the terminal to unplug it.

"Will you hurry up?" James complained.

"Just one second James. I'm trying to unplug this dang thing but I can't find the cord. Oh, wait there it is. I've got it."

**November 24, 2257**

Catherine looked carefully at her husband. It was always hard to tell what he was thinking and right now it was harder than ever. He was obviously shocked, that part was clear to her but beyond that his emotions were a mystery. As she looked in to his face she started to realize just how lucky she was to have such an amazing person as a husband.

James was a tall Caucasian man standing at about six foot three inches. He was also a very slim man. Not having much when it came to muscles but that didn't mean he wasn't fit. He had a head of chestnut colored hair that was combed back in a wavy fashion that was held in place with a small amount of gel. He was cleanly shaven except for a few chin whiskers. He had chocolate brown eyes that have a tired expression to them. His nose was thin and he had small lips. Even though he was only thirty-six he had small wrinkles on his forehead and deep laugh lines. This came from the fact that he was almost always smiling.

He was currently wearing a white overcoat that had a large black stain on the left arm and a burn hole on the lower leg area. He was also wearing some a blue jumpsuit under the coat and dirty black dress shoes. On his left leg he wore a black sock and on his left he wore a white one. He had a silver watch and his wedding ring on his left hand. His right hand had a bandage wrapped around it from the cut he had gotten the day before when his knife had slipped.

After a few moments he looked up in to Catherine's eyes and saw that she was trying to read his expression. He smiled at her she was truly beautiful and he couldn't even comprehend how he had been so lucky to get a woman like her.

She was a woman of average height and a slightly plump build. Her skin was smooth and a burnt orange color. She had a few freckles and a dimple on her left cheek. Her hair was short, smooth, and despite her age it was a light gray. Her eyes were the colors of emeralds and they glinted now as she awaited his response. She, like him, was wearing a white overcoat though hers was a lot cleaner.

"James, are you alright" Catherine asked worriedly.

"Of course I am, just a little surprised" he responded as he reached over to grab his open bottle of scotch.

He took a sip of it before he looked back up at her.

"I can't believe this though. It's just weird to think about it happening. Catherine, can you imagine me raising a kid? I wouldn't be able to do it alone, it would be impossible."

He looked deep into her eyes, "I love you," he said.

"I love you too James, and don't worry about anything I will always be here for you."

"Promise?" he asked.

"I promise."

**July 13, 2258**

The light was flashing and coming in and out of focus.

It shined to reveal a small medical room that smelled like a mixture of an underground cave and old tap water.

The room itself was small and square. There was a big metal door in the wall and a large bulletproof window next to it. There were pipes running across the ceiling and machines with big blinking buttons. Medical supplies were lying around here and there and some filing cabinets were pushed against the walls. Wires were slithering across the floor connected to very advance looking medical equipment. The equipment had been recently used to give birth to a child. The child was a small frail being who came out crying and thrashing, waving its small little fists around in circles. Yet now the child was quieter and was lying on a gurney with a blanket wrapped around its small body.

The recently born baby opened its eyes so that it could see two shadowy figures through its blurred vision.

It blinked its eyes again. The lights were taking some time to get used to.

One of the shadows was looking at another gurney and holding the hand of the woman lying there. The other had just recently come into the small room and was walking towards the man. When she got over to him she tapped his shoulder to get his attention and then handed him a clipboard "Thank you Madison" said a rough yet happy voice as he took the clipboard from the woman. He looked at the clipboard for a few seconds and then stood up; he looked at the clipboard one more time then turned to the woman that was laying on the gurney.

"Well Catherine, it looks fine. Let's check on the baby" he said and he walked over to the gurney where the baby was lying down.

"Let's see are you a boy or a girl" he said and smiled at the small being. He checked very quickly. "Well you're a girl, a beautiful healthy baby girl" he looked over to the woman lying on the other gurney. In the dark the woman was hard to see and the baby couldn't make out very much other than that she was laying down and was dressed in a medical skirt.

"You hear that Catherine we have a little girl"

The woman gave a weak chuckle.

"Oh James it's wonderful, a darling little girl, our darling little girl" she said as she smiled at James.

He looked back down at his daughter, "You have a bright future ahead of you sweetheart, I'm sure of it." She clapped her hands and giggled.

"Look at you, look at you. I'm your daddy honey, daddy."

He looked over to Catherine to see that she was lying on her side and a huge grin across her face. He started to grin too, this was amazing he was a father he had never been happier in his entire life.

"Now you're going to need a name aren't you," he said to the baby in a serious voice.

"You see me and your mom have been thinking. What do you think about Samantha? I think it fits you perfectly"

The baby started to giggle again as if to say that the name was perfect.

He leaned over so that he could whisper into Catherine's ear. "I think she likes the name you chose" he said.

"That's because it's a lot better than the crappy name you chose," she replied.

"Lakeesha was probably the worst name you could have come up with. I mean seriously what even made you think a name like that would be good. Plus, Samantha Neilson sounds a lot better than Lakeesha Neilson."

He looked at her and frowned "Ok I get it, my girl names kind of sucked. My boy names on the other hand were amazing."

"Firstly, your names didn't kind of suck they really sucked." She said as she raised her one finger

"Secondly, James Jr. was not such an amazing name." she raised another finger

"And thirdly, Madison is waiting for you to turn around." She raised one more finger and pointed all three over his shoulder

James, mildly surprised, twisted his neck so that he could see Madison.

She was smiling at her two friends antics.

"Sorry to interrupt, but the projector is ready whenever you are James."

"Good, good. Let's get started then."

He stood up and walked back over to the gurney where Samantha was laying.

"Looks like it's time for the gene projection," he said, "let's see what you'll look like when you're all grown up."

As he spoke a monitor swung down from the ceiling. It had a glowing circular screen on one side and a rectangular one on the other. It started to beep and several words appeared on the rectangular screen. James looked over at them quickly and flicked one of the switches under the screen. More words appeared upon the terminal screen and James seemed to be paying close attention to them. He spent a couple more second flicking switches, turning knobs, and pushing buttons before the computer beeped again and a robotic voice started to speak.

"Insert mother D.N.A." It said.

At hearing this James picked up a syringe, walked over to Catherine, and inserted the needle into her arm. The syringe slowly filled with dark red blood. James pulled the needle out of his wives arm and hooked the syringe in to place above the projector.

The monitor beeped and said "D.N.A. confirmed, mothers name is Catherine Neilson, African American. Please insert father D.N.A."

James took another syringe and repeated the process he had done with the first.

After he inserted it into the monitor the computer beeped "D.N.A. confirmed fathers name is James Neilson, Caucasian. Please insert infant D.N.A."

James looked down at his daughter. "Don't worry honey, we won't have to draw blood from you we can just use your umbilical cord for the required D.N.A."

He grabbed the cord that he had previously cut and stuffed a small amount of it into a small metal cylinder. He hooked the cylinder into the projector just like the syringes.

After a few seconds the blood started to siphon out of the syringes and the cylinder was sucked into the machine. There was a sucking sound as the materials were vacuumed in to the processor that was housed inside the projector. The processor beeped a few times before the computer voice spoke again.

"Thank you for inserting all needed D.N.A. Please wait while data is uploaded, it may take a few moments for the data to decipher."

James turned back to Samantha. "Don't worry this should only take a few seconds and then we can see what you will look like when you are all grown up."

A few minutes later the computer beeped again. "Difficulty reading data please wait." James stopped and looked curiously at the screen where a section of data had appeared.

... . .-.. .-.. - / .- - . .-. .. -.-. .- / - ... .. ... / .. ... / -.- - ..- .-. / .-. .-. . ... .. -.. . -. - / .- - ... -. / ... . -. .-. -.- / . -.. . -. / -..-. . .-. .-. - .-. -..-. / .. / -.. - -. - / .- .- -. - / - - / ... . - / - ... . / .- - .-. .-.. -.. / - -. / ..-. .. .-. . / -..-. . .-. .-. - .-. -..-. / ... . .- .-. - / .-. .- - . / .-. .. ... .. -. -. / -..-. . .-. .-. - .-. -..-. / .- . .-.. -.-. - - . / - - / - ... . / .- .- ... - . .-.. .- -. -.. / ... .- - .- -. - ... .- / -. . .. .-.. ... - -.

The computer beeped and the data erased itself from the screen.

"Sorry for the inconvenience, there was trouble reading the data. The problem has been fixed and the process will proceed as normal. Proceed when ready." The machine beeped in its low tone.

James stared at the terminal for a second making sure that everything was in check. Seeing that there was nothing wrong with the data and that everybody was waiting for him to do something he told Madison to start the process.

Madison walked over to the monitor and pushed a large, glowing, red button on the bottom of the machine. The machine started to make a whizzing sound as it powered up. The monitor's circular screen started to glow green as the whizzing stopped.

A tan shape was on the circular screen. It stretched, and moved, and shaped. As it continued to form it became the shape of a human head. The monitor beeped thrice "Because of the data complexity and the randomness of genes there is only eighty percent confirmation." The blob was starting to show human facial features as a nose, ears, and lips grew. "Data implies that the child will be Caucasian with hints of African ancestry. She will have Brown-red hair and green eyes. Please enter personal information." When he heard this James grabbed a piece of paper and inserted it into a scanner. "Information found. Welcome to the world Samantha Neilson. Data shows that visual is prepared"

James now looked at the screen to see that the blob had now transformed to show what his daughter would look like in her later life.

She looked a lot like him.

Her skin was only a bit darker than his and had a few freckles here and there. She had a thin face much like her dad and they shared the same jaw. Her lips were small and rounded and were one of the features that came from her mother. Her ears looked like Catherine's as well. Her nose was small and pointed. She had large murky green eyes and long reddish-brown hair that reached her shoulders. She was a very pretty young woman.

James smiled as he saw his daughter. "You look so beautiful. See that Catherine that's our daughter" he looked towards his wife to see that she was smiling even more then he was. "Oh very pretty" she said and laughed out of pure joy. Catherine was really happy. She had a little girl that she could raise and love. Nothing could make her feel bad now, nothing at all.

James looked back at his daughter. She was looking at the picture of her older self and was smiling with her mouth wide open. James kneeled down so that he was level with Samantha.

"It's a big world out there full of all sorts of people, what about you what kind of a person are you going to be?" he asked.

A monitor to Catherine's side beeped. It beeped again and then started to beep faster and faster. Catherine looked at her lover "James, James" it sounded like she was having trouble breathing.

James walked over to the monitor and grabbed a needle that he then injected it her arm. The monitor started to beep slower then sped up so that it was faster than ever. Catherine started to shake violently and her eyes rolled into the back of her head.

"Damnt she's going in to cardiac arrest, Madison get the baby out of here."

Madison ran over and started to pull the gurney out of the room. James leaped over to the other side of Catherine's gurney and started to push against her chest.

"One one-thousand, two one-thousand" he panted as he pushed.

As the gurney was pulled out of the room the baby started to cry again. She wailed and moaned and the tears streamed down her cheeks.

Madison yelled for help and one of the aids ran past her in to the room. She kept on pushing the gurney until she came to an empty room. She calmed the baby down by handing her a teddy bear. Samantha looked at the small stuffed animal and started to giggle.

"Now you just wait here and I'll be right back in just a second" Madison told her.

She turned back through the door and started to sprint back down the hall.

When she got back into the room she found James still attempting C.P.R. She looked at him sadly, tears started to collect on her lashes and roll like rivers down her cheeks. She couldn't stand seeing James in this state of defeat and despair.

"James, please stop" she pleaded.

"No, I can still save her" he yelled

She could hear the hopelessness in his voice and it broke her. She couldn't stand to hurt him, but if she let him stay here he would just keep pushing until his arms gave up and he blacked out.

"James, stop. It's too late. Catherine's dead."

**A.N.**

**So there it is, I hope you all enjoyed it. I'm hoping on having chapter one up soon.**


	2. Chapter One: The World As We Know It

**A.N./ Hello again everybody. It's finally here. The first official chapter for Project Purity. I am so sorry for how long it's taken to get this up. Writing this has just been problem after problem. First The writing software that came with the computer turned out to be a trial version, and sadly for me that trial ran out before I became aware of that. I was stuck with no way to write the last part of the chapter. It wouldn't even let me copy and paste it or upload it to this site so I had to rewrite the entire chapter. That was NOT fun. But alast. I have fixed those problems and should be able to write a lot faster now. Thank you for your patience.**

**I would also like to acknowledge Umbra-Luna and cally777 who were the first two people to review this story. The reviews were really encouraging and made my day when I noticed them. So, Thank you.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fallout, it's characters, or anything else that has to do with it.**

**So, without further any interruptions. Here it is.**

**Chapter 1: The world as we know it**

**March 14, 2259**

Beep…

James could hear it again. The horrible noise was continuously pulsing in his head. He could not forget it as it brought forth memories that he did not want to remember.

Beep…

He saw Catherine's body lying there lifeless, her last breathes extinguished. Her body was limp and her eyes glazed over.

Beep…

He could hear Sam crying in the background. Her wails reverberating off the walls as he looked down in to Catherine's face, Sam's moans piercing his ears as tears rolled down his cheeks.

Then he was awake.

He looked over to see that his little baby girl was crying in her sleep. He quickly pulled himself from out from under his covers and walked over to the crib. Sam was laying there tears streaming out of her eyes. James reached down to pick her up. With her in is arms he started to bounce slowly and whisper comforting words.

"Shh... You're safe now." He said softly.

"No more monsters. No more nightmares." He told her.

"Shh... That's it. Daddy's got you…"

Slowly Samantha started to calm down and after a few minutes, he got her to the point that he could lay her back down in the crib.

"Goodnight, my little one. Sleep well."

James looked down at his small daughter. As he looked down at her, he grinned. He just stood there for a long time, thinking about what was yet to come, until he decided that he had better get back to bed. As he was starting to tuck himself in to his sheets, he looked towards the ceiling and blinked lazily as he thought.

_Oh, Catherine what have I got myself into._

**August 14, 2259**

"Don't look directly into the light, sweetie. You'll hurt your eyes. It's just something you have to get used to down here." James said in a comforting voice.

They had just been practicing walking and Sam had been dazed by the brightness of Vault 101's lights. She was now sitting on the floor with her hands on her face. Slowly the dizziness that had been swirling inside Sam's head faded away. She stood up and after a few encouraging words from James she got back up to try again.

James walked across the room so that he was standing inside the small enclosure that served as Samantha's playpen. He crouched down into a squatting position and patted his thighs with the palms of his hands while chanting, "Come on over here, sweetie. Come on! Walk to daddy!"

Sam started to walk slowly toward the encouraging voice of her father. She put one foot in front of the other and then moved her other foot so that it was ahead of that one. She giggled at the new sensation that was walking. Soon afterwards, Sam found herself by her father's legs. She stared up at his cleanly shaven face. He leaned downwards and picked her up so that she could sit in his lap.

"There you go. My goodness! A year old and already walking like a pro." He said as he patted Sam softly on the back.

"Your mother would have been so proud." As he said this, his face showed a sad smile and it was obvious that he was thinking of better times.

James set Sam back down upon the floor and pushed himself up off the ground.

"Listen kiddo. I know that you don't like it when daddy leaves you alone. But I need you to take care of yourself for a minute."

He walked away, closed the playpen door, and then disappeared out of the door.

Sam had always hated it when her dad left, when he did it left her feeling scared yet she could not recall why. This time was a little bit different though. She could still here his reassurances of safety and even though she was barely one year old, she was able to understand most of what he said to her. One of the most amazing things about Sam was obviously her intelligence. Even at such a young age she was able to piece together small sentences, was able to count, and was reading at the level of someone five times her age. James had encouraged learning to Sam and showed her its importance.

Sam had found a way out of her playpen prison a while ago, so she simply pushed the peg up and was released from her makeshift cell. She walked around the small, square, metal room. She was looking for something to do before her dad came back. She spent a few minutes in the toy chest but nothing in it interested her much. She spent another two minutes playing with a large, red, rubber ball but was quickly bored. Finally, she walked over to the bookshelf and pulled out one of her favorites.

It was an old vault-tech issued copy of the children's book "_I'm Special."_

It was a very easy book yet also a very entertaining book. Each page was filled with information on one of the seven attributes that decided what a person is like and what they can and cannot do. The seven attributes were strength, perception, endurance, charisma, intelligence, agility, and last but not least luck. The seven words spelled an acronym for S.P.E.C.I.A.L

It also included a small vocal test given by an adult that small children can take to see where they ranked in these attributes. Sam had taken the test and had performed rather well. Her highest had been the intelligence, which she got a nine in. Her second highest was her agility which ranked a seven. Perception, endurance, charisma, and luck had all received the average five. The only low mark that Sam had got off the test was strength that ranked on a four. After a quick reread of the book, Sam started to play with her toys some more.

After a few minutes, the door whizzed open and James walked in. He looked at Sam, then at the playpen, then back over at Sam before softly laughing.

"You're quite the little explorer, aren't you? Serves me right for trying to pen you in." James said.

Sam giggled and clapped her hands. Then she said, "Dada."

Once again, James laughed as he patted Sam on the belly. "Come on over here, there's something I want to show you."

He led the way over to the side of his bed. On a small dresser next to the bed, there was a quote in a wooden frame. James picked it up and kneeled down in front of Sam.

"See this? It was your mother's favorite passage. It's from the Bible. Revelation 21:6. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely." As James recited the words, he smiled sadly.

"She always loved that." James said. "All right. Come on. Let's go and see if you little friend Amata wants to play."

Together the two of them walked out of the room.

Even though Sam did not know it, these steps, these baby steps, would be the beginning of history.

**November 11, 2260**

Alphonse Almodovar sat alone inside his room. As Overseer of Vault 101, he was supposed to appear as a strong and powerful person yet he had never been weaker than right now. His eyes were red and puffy, his hair disheveled, dried tears stained his cheeks, and a sense of hopelessness had come over him. How could something so terrible happen to him? How could things have gotten so bad so quickly? Just yesterday, he had talked to her and now she was gone forever. How was he going to raise Amata by himself?

Then he felt anger. How nobody could have seen this coming, he did not know. Surely, James should have been able to prevent this somehow. He was a doctor; it was his job to save people's lives. So why had he failed to do it this time. He knew he had to go talk to James.

He jumped up out of his chair and started to walk through the cold steel halls of the vault. He headed to the infirmary where James should be working. He walked straight into James's office and not realizing what he was doing started yelling in a voice that reverberated off the walls.

"James, how could you let this happen? How could you not prevent this from happening? What am I supposed to do now? I have to lead the vault. I have to raise Amata. How am I supposed to explain to my little girl that she will never see her mommy ever again? How am I supposed to lead when I can barely keep track of my own life? I am falling here, and you are not doing anything to help the vault or me. I need help and now I have nowhere to go. How am I supposed to solve everyone else's problems when my own are unsolved."

James just stared as his friend yelled at him. He knew Alphonse always had trouble trusting people and that Melissa's death would not help. He had experienced similar feelings when Catherine had died.

"Alphonse, I understand how you-"

"No James you don't understand. You don't understand anything."

"Alphonse, I do understand. How do you think I felt when Catherine died? What do you think it has been like raising Samantha by myself? I have been through this. I can help you, so let me."

"I don't need your help James," Alphonse yelled. Then with a large sob, he fell to the ground tears falling freely.

James walked forward and put his hands on the Overseer's shoulders. Alphonse threw his hands off and stood up. Before James could move Alphonse's fist had connected with his jaw.

"Keep your hands off me, James." He yelled.

James recovered from the blow and got up off the ground. He looked at Alphonse with a startled expression.

"What the hell was that about?" James asked.

"This is entirely your fault."

"How is this is my fault?"

"God damnt James, you should have been able to fix this." Alphonse yelled.

"I'm a doctor, not a miracle maker. None of us saw this coming. She was perfectly healthy at her last checkup. We have no idea what could have caused her death."

"Have you thought that this might have been the repercussions of your experiments?" Alphonse asked. "The experiments could be deadly."

"You know very well that my experiments had nothing to do with Melissa's death. The experiments are in no way dangerous to the residents of the vault."

"These experiments are a waste of time," Alphonse shouted.

"Don't be a damn fool, the experiments are prepared. Prepared and they are just fine, and they are running smoothly sir." James shouted back putting a lot of strain on the last word.

"Goodbye James."

"Goodbye, Alphonse."

Alphonse's face turned an ugly reddish color and he stared angrily at James.

"Don't call me Alphonse, call me Overseer."

**July 13, 2268**

The light flashed on quickly and Sam was dazed by the sudden brightness. She leaned her head down and covered her eyes wondering what had just happened.

Suddenly Sam heard clapping and the sound of horns being blown. A yell of, "Happy birthday," was shouted around the room.

Sam slowly opened her eyes as they adjusted to the sudden brightness. She saw that she was standing in the doorway of the vault lounge. There were banners strung across the room all carrying messages signifying this special day. There were streamers and balloons everywhere and on the bar, there was an iced cake. She smiled and then took a second to register the people who were in the room. She saw her dad and her best friend Amata. There was also Old Lady Palmer and Stanley. Behind the bar there was the Mr. Handy robot called Andy. She saw that Butch and his stupid gang had showed up, as had Christine and Suzy. In the corner, she saw the Holdens and by them were the Gomez family. Officer Gomez turned towards the engineer and said in a chastising voice, "Stanley, you turned the lights on too fast! You blinded the poor kid!"

Sam smiled at Stanley and said, "Don't worry, I'm all right."

The people kept on clapping until James walked over and put a hand on Sam's shoulder.

"Happy birthday, honey." He said. "I can't believe you're already ten! I am so proud of you. If only your mother…" James' voice trailed off as the overseer walked over to the two.

Alphonse interrupted James' little speech and looked down at Sam. "Congratulations young lady!" he said in a cheery voice that was obviously fake. "I don't have to tell you how special this day is, do I? Alphonse asked and Sam gave a curt nod. "Down here in Vault 101, when you turn ten, well, you're ready to take on your first official vault responsibilities. So here you are!"

Sam looked as the overseer pulled a metallic object with a bright green interface. Sam instantly knew what this was, because every single adult in Vault 101 had one. It went onto the users arm, right above the person's wrist, and it was used to help the people of Vault 101 do their jobs.

"As overseer I hereby present to you your very own Pip-Boy 3000. Here, take it and get used to it. This thing right here is very important and how you use it will determine whether or not you are successful here in the vault." The overseer held out the pip-boy, and Sam took it and immediately noticed that it had been made for a left-handed user.

It fit unto Sam's arm perfectly. It was similar to a glove but much larger and bulkier. Sam was having a difficult time containing her excitement. She had a Pip-Boy, the item that marked you as an important member of vault 101. She was going to test it out but realized that the overseer had a few more things to say.

"You'll be getting your first work assignment tomorrow. So prepare." He said as he chuckled softly. Sam didn't know whether he was joking or not. If he was then it wasn't funny. The overseer turned away from Sam and went to go sit by Officer Gomez.

Sam's attention was turned back to James when he softly squeezed her shoulder. "Ignore that," he said and not for the first time did Sam get the feeling that her dad did not appreciate the overseer's wise words. "Enjoy your party, sweetie. You're only ten once, so have fun." James took his hand off her shoulder and went to go sit at the bar with Stanley, the engineer.

Sam's best friend Amata hopped up in front of her. "Happy birthday!" she yelled. "We really surprised you, didn't we?" She giggled, as she said, "Your dad was afraid you were on to us. But I told him not to worry, since you're so easy to fool and all."

Sam grinned at her friend's friendly insult. "This is a really great party, Amata. Thanks for doing all this for me."

"You're welcome Sam! But really, your dad did most of it. I just helped with the decorations and stuff, you know. Hey! I bet you can't guess what I gotcha for your birthday! Go on, guess!"

Sam thought about maybe making a joke but decided against it.

"I really have no idea..."

"Hah! I knew I'd surprise you with it. Who's your favorite Barbarian? That's right, Grognak! Issue number fourteen, and with no missing pages." She handed it to Sam who accepted it with quick thanks. "I found it in a box of my father's old things," she said as Sam s flipped through the pages, "...believe it or not. Imagine him reading comic books! I guess everybody was ten once." The two of them laughed softly at the thought of the uptight overseer reading barbarian comic books.

"Now come on, I want to see your Pip-Boy." Amata pleaded

"Ok, just wait a second." Sam said and after a few seconds of fumbling with switches and knobs, Sam was able to turn on the Pip-Boy. The screen glowed green as a little cartoon picture of a vault-girl showed her vital signs.

"Wow, that's cool. I wonder how it can tell me my vital signs, though. Maybe it injected a small needle in to my skin that can read D.N.A. or maybe a scanner is built in to it to check stats or maybe it-" Sam was interrupted by a quick tap to the shoulder from amata. "What?" she asked. "Sammy dear, your rambling." Amata said in a motherly voice. They both started to laugh when a quiet voice asked. "Excuse me, but do you mind if I have a look at the Pip-Boy." The voice had come from Paul Hannon. Paul was a few months younger then Sam and had therefore not received a Pip-Boy yet. Usually Sam wouldn't have liked to talk with Paul because he was one of Butch's lackeys, but since he was the nicest of the goons and since he was polite, she invited him to look at the Pip-Boy with them. The three of them looked through the settings. Other than the vitals, there was also a map of the vault, a radio, a notes section, a planner, calendar, a library of digital books, and in the corner, there was a dial that measured radiation levels.

After checking out the Pip-Boy Paul went back over to butch and his friend Wally, Amata went over to chastise her father for his joke, and Sam went to talk to Stanley.

"Hello Samantha." The engineer said as she took a seat next to him.

"Stanley, I told you to just call me Sam. Everybody else does.

"Ok, Sam." He said putting extra emphasis on the name. "How has your birthday been so far?"

"It's been pretty amazing. Amata and dad threw this awesome party and I got my Pip-Boy. Speaking of the Pip-Boy by any chance did you fix it up for me?"

"As a matter of fact I did. Your dad told me you were left-handed so I did a bit of simple jury-rigging and got that suited up. Plus I added a couple of extra doo-hickeys, just for you. Some people think that the A-models are a bit bulky and slow but there reliable like no other. You could drop a bomb on it and it would be fine. Heck, we already have done that."

"That's really cool Stanley. Hey, while we're still talking about repairing things, I heard that there might be something wrong with the water purification system." Sam asked curiously.

"Don't worry 'bout that. Andy and I got that right fixed up. Was a rather simple problem actually. The pressure was just a little too high so we had a couple of leaks." Stanley answered.

"Well I'm glad to hear that everything's running smoothly." Sam said.

"Yeah, oh and one more thing I almost forget. I know that it is not much but I hope you like it." He reached down and pulled out a red baseball cap.

"Thanks Stanley."

"You're welcome and happy birthday."

Sam slid on the cap to find that it fit rather well atop her red-brown hair. She smiled as she walked over to one of the booths were Old Lady Palmer was sitting. Sam slid in to the booth across the elderly African-American woman. Mrs. Palmer's wrinkled face went into a large smile. "Well hello, honey. Have you had a nice party? Ten years old, my my my. Seems like only yesterday your daddy came… goodness, listen to me ramble. Your waiting for your present, aren't you?"

Sam was taken by surprise and quickly spluttered, "Mrs. Palmer you didn't have to get me anything."

"Fiddlesticks, what ten year old doesn't like presents. Here you go a nice sweetroll for you that I baked just this morning. And it's all for you, you're the birthday girl. No sharing required today."

Sam took the sweet roll and with a smile went to go and talk with Amata.

"Hey Amata," Sam said as she sat down.

"Oh, hey Sam. What did you get from Palmer?" Amata asked.

"She gave me a sweetroll."

"I love her sweetrolls; she's probably the best baker in the vault."

"Here, have half."

"Thanks," Amata said, "Oh hello Christine. Hi, Suzie."

"Hey Amata, Happy birthday Sam." Both Christine and Suzie said as they slid into the chairs next to theirs.

The four girls talked to each other for a few minutes and Sam continued eating her sweet roll before they were interrupted by the robotic voice of Andy.

Andy was a Mister Handy utility RobCo robot who was used for general chores in the vault. His main part was a spherical metal ball that was held in the air by a jet propulsion system. He had three glowing yellow sensors and three mechanical arms. One of the arms ended in a mechanical hand, another with a blowtorch, and the last with a buzzsaw. Andy was a bit accident-prone and spoke in an English accent.

It was this English accent that said, "attention everyone, it's time to cut the cake."

Unfortunately, Andy's buzzsaw was not the best pastry slicing utility. The saw shredded the cake, which promptly imploded. Flecks of frosting and cake flew across the room coating everything. Everyone just stood there for a few seconds, shocked by what had happened. Slowly people came back to real time, cleaned up any bits of cake that had hit them, and went back to normal conversation as if nothing had happened.

The four girls spent a few more minutes talking before James came over and said he had to borrow Sam for a minute.

"Hey sweetie, I just got a call from Jonas over the intercom. He and I have been cooking up a little surprise for you. Just head down to the reactor level. Tell Jonas that I'll be down in a second."

"Ok dad, see you in a minute. Is it ok if I bring Amata?"

"Sure sweetie." James answered.

Sam fetched Amata and the two of them walked out of the room but they were not the only ones to do so. Butch Deliria, a boy a few months older than Sam had also left the room. Butch was a bully and had found pleasure in picking on Sam for the past four years.

He followed them until they were a few feet away from him before he made his presence known.

"Hey dweebs." He yelled out.

Sam and Amata turned around slightly startled.

"What do you want Butch," Sam yelled.

"That stupid robot destroyed the cake and I'm starving. Give me that sweetroll you got from Old Lady Palmer." Butch said in an obnoxious voice.

"Oh I'm sorry Butch, Amata and I already ate it." Sam said grinning. "You do look hungry though; I'm guessing your mother drank up all the ration coupons again."

Butch turned red and he clenched his fists.

"Don't you dare talk about my mother you punk?"

"Why not Butchie, everyone knows she's a worthless drunk."

That was taking it a step to far and Butch suddenly leapt forward fists raised. Sam had always been fast and easily dodged his reckless attack. Sam danced around the next couple of punches but her luck didn't hold up. Butch hit her in the left shoulder and she fell to the ground.

She looked at Butch in shock and then to Butch's surprise she smiled.

In all his fury Butch had failed to notice Officer Gomez standing less than twenty feet away.

The officer quickly started to scold Butch. He checked on Sam to make sure she was all right and then sent her and Amata on their way. The two of them walked down a few flights of stairs before Amata finally said. "What's Butch's problem anyway. Starting a fight, and on your birthday no less. He is such an idiot. Then again,I guess you can always count on butch to make an ass of himself." The two of them laughed at Butch's stupidity and finally they reached the reactor level.

Almost as soon as they opened the door, they were confronted by one of James' friends and co-workers, Jonas Palmer. Jonas walked up to the two of them and said in a very stern voice, "what are you young ladies doing down here. Kids aren't supposed to be down here."

Amata had a worried look on her face and started to splutter out something about not knowing before Sam interrupted her saying, "cool down Amata, he's only pulling our legs."

"Oh."

Jonas chuckled. "How's your birthday been Sammy?" he asked politely.

"It's been great. Dad said you have a surprise for me though."

"If you wait a minute, I think your dad will be down to give you your surprise himself." Jonas looked behind Sam and he laughed, "Well speaking of James…"

Sam turned around; James was standing there holding something behind his back.

"Dad!" Sam shouted

"Hello sweetie, are you ready for your surprise?"

"What kind of surprise?" Sam asked.

"Well the Overseer gave you your Pip-Boy, and you're old enough to do some work, so I figure you're old enough for this."

He moved his hand from behind his back, to reveal an n old rifle. Sam and Amata's eyes widened.

"It's your BB gun! It's a little old, but it should work perfectly." James said as he handed the gun to Sam. Sam examined it, the wood was beaten down and the metal was rusted but the gun was still in well working condition.

"How did you get this," Sam asked.

"Jonas found it on the lower levels. It was in pretty rough shape. Took us a good three months to find the parts needed to get it to work again. You know how hard it is to find a spring that small. Good thing Butch 'misplaced' that switchblade of his." James, Amata, and Sam laughed. Sam could not resist thinking about just how awesome her dad was. Amata was thinking similar thoughts, silently wishing that her dad were more like this.

"So what do you think? Want to give it a try?" James asked.

Amata turned away from the gun and looked at James. "Mr. Neilson, we can't shoot a gun here."

"We sure can Amata, unless we want your father beating down our door. Jonas and I have found a place though. Come on you two." He said as he walked over to a heavy steel door. He opened it and after a short walk, they were in deserted part of the vault that must have been used when the population was bigger. At the end of one of the corridors, James sand Jonas had set up a homemade shooting gallery. Three targets were attached to poles supported by rubber tires.

Sam and Amata stopped and stared at it for a few minutes both of them thinking about how awesome this was.

Sam felt James put his hand on her shoulder. "Well what do you think? You can come down here and shoot anytime you feel like it.

"This is so awesome! Thanks, dad!"

"I couldn't have done any of this without Jonas' help. You be sure to thank him."

"Who, me? Jonas asked as he and Amata walked up to the smiling pair. "Well, happy birthday. I hope you have fun with it."

"Thanks a lot Jonas, this is awesome." Sam said.

"Hey, you don't turn every day. Now go on, let's see you shoot something!"

Sam walked over to a locker lying on its side that was used to mark shooting distance.

She held the rifle up. Somehow she knew what to do, the weapon felt natural in her hands. She aimed fired once, twice and then three times, each time hitting a different mark. The sound of the small bullets ricocheting off the metal was a sound that felt natural to Sam. She fired a few more times and soon she was hitting the targets directly in the middle, which caused them to spin around and then lock back in to place.

Sam jumped up and down with Amata at her display of marksmanship.

Suddenly, an animal scurried in front of the targets from behind one of the crates. It was a very large insect about the size of a pillow. It had a brown glossy carapace, which shined when it moved into the light. Its antennae were right above its black eyes. It walked on six legs and on its back; there was a pair of fluttering wings. It was a very ugly creature.

"What is that thing," Amata shrieked.

"That is a radroach," James answered. He thought for a moment about the situation that had presented itself and thought about the options that he had before saying, "think you can take care of that with your BB gun? Just aim and shoot. You'll be alright, sweetie."

Sam looked at her father with a nervous expression. Then she looked at the radroach, its legs and antennae twitching. The roach turned to look at Sam. Sam stared into the monstrosity's black eyes before she raised the rifle and shot once.

The radroach's head exploded as the small BB connected with it and its body grew very still. Sam smiled and turned to look at Jonas, Amata, and her dad. She smiled and said, "Killed it."

James smiled back and said, "Good work! That's one less radroach to deal with. Let's get a picture together, capture the moment." He turned towards Jonas. "Hey jonas1 get a picture of me with the big game hunter!"

Amata stepped out of the way, Sam held her rifle in one hand and James knelt down next to her. Jonas walked over to them holding a large camera with a flashbulb and held it up.

"Smile."

The bright light of the camera encased the room as Sam and James smiled together.

**December 12, 2271**

Sam and Amata were sitting in the shooting gallery. For the past three years, the place had become a place where they could escape, a place where they would not be hounded by the Overseer, and mostly a place where they could talk.

"What do you think of that assignment Mr. Brotch gave us?" Amata asked.

"It's easy. I'm already done." Sam said shortly

"How can you be done, we just got it today." Amata questioned.

"Like I said, it was easy."

"How are you so smart? You understand things so easily."

"I don't know how I do it. I just do. I just wish the classes weren't so boring." Sam said.

"What makes them so boring?" Amata asked

"Half the things Mr. Brotch talks about I already know and were always learning about how the world was destroyed and how it's not habitable on the surface. Yet we never are taught how we could make it livable up there. Shouldn't we be spending time trying to fix the world instead of squatting down here in the vaults for the rest of eternity? We learn about dogs, cats, and trees yet were told that we will never see them. Shouldn't we make a world where those things are possible? Don't you ever wonder about the outside world?"

"Sometimes Sam, but why does it matter?"

"I don't know but sometimes I get this feeling. It is a feeling that there is something more on this planet than the vault. It is a feeling that there is something that I need to find out. It is a feeling that there is something more than the world as we know it.

"And you think that this something is out there on the topside?"

"Where else could it be?" Sam asked.

"I don't know Sam, but these kinds of thoughts are dangerous. Imagine what would happen if my father heard you talking about stuff like this. This vault is a safe place; it's not the best place in the world, but it is safe. You should be gracious to live here." Amata said in a scolding voice.

Sam sighed, "Gosh Amata you sound like my dad."

"Your dad is right Sam; the world out there is not a good place. You belong here in the vault; it's where you have always been. We're born in the vault, we die in the vault."

Sam sighed again. "Now you sound like your dad."

Amata almost visibly flinched. "Now that would be a nightmare, I wish my dad was more like yours."

"How bad has he been recently?"

"He's still pretty horrible. He refuses to leave me alone. He even stayed with me throughout my entire checkup."

"Hey at least your dad isn't the doctor." Sam said

"At least your dad isn't the overseer." Amata said back

"Touché."

**August 3, 2274**

Sam continued to grow into a fine young woman. She truly did look a lot like her father, her red-brownish hair was currently in a short style that showed off her thin face and sparkling green eyes. She had also turned out to be quite skilled as well. She was good with machines and computers and like her father she knew a great deal about medicine and the sciences of biology, chemistry, and physics. She had also grown to be a very good shot with her BB gun and could hit targets from great distances. James was immensely proud of the way his daughter was shaping up to be and that was why he was quite adamant about making sure that his daughter would pass her G.O.A.T. exam and would receive a good job

Sam was very unenthusiastic about having to take the G.O.A.T exam. As she was getting a checkup from her father, the two of them spoke.

"As far as I can tell, you're a perfectly healthy sixteen year old girl. So yes, you need to go to class and take your G.O.A.T. exam." James said as he set down a medical tool that he had been using to look in Sam's eyes. "Go on now; you've got a test to take."

Sam sighed loudly and with a voice full of disappointment, she said, "If you say so, Dad."

James spoke in slightly more commanding voice. "Hey, it's not my call. Those are the rules. You're sixteen now, so this year you've got to take the G.O.A.T." Sam continued to pout and James continued, "Come on, it's not so bad. Everyone has to go through with it. You'll do just fine."

"Is there anything I need to know about the test, dad?" Sam asked.

"The Generalized Occupational Aptitude Test. G.O.A.T. Everyone here in the vault takes it when they're sixteen. Helps to figure out what sort of a job you'll have here in Vault 101 when you get a bit older. So, pay attention and try not to fall asleep."

Sam smiled. She had fallen asleep in class on more than one occasion. It usually had to do with the fact that Sam already knew most of what Mr. Brotch rambled on about.

"You know what they say, sweetie. 'We're born in the vault, we die in the vault. Each is tested in their abilities, so that they may work towards the betterment of all vault residents. Sound familiar?"

"Slightly." Sam said in every sarcastic voice. It was one of the many messages that the overseer would say over the intercoms. "Dad, do we have to die in the vault? Can't we ever leave?"

James frowned. "That's not the way it works, and it won't do you any good to go around asking questions like that. Especially not around the Overseer."

Sam nodded to her father and bowed her head. James face went into a softer expression and his eyes showed a look of sympathy" I want to tell you something now. It's important, so listen closely..." Sam looked up and met his father's gaze. "This place, this... vault. It isn't perfect, I know. But it is your home. You're safe here. Stay inside and you always will be, understand? You need to appreciate all that you have here."

Sam could only stare as she listened to what her father said. "Because, what's up there... on the outside... that's not the life I want for you. And it's not what your mother wanted for you, either."

"Dad, is it really true that everyone is born in the vault?"

James looked up to make sure that the door was sealed tightly before he spoke. "That's what the Overseer says, isn't it? He's not about to let anyone else in so I guess that's how it'll have to be. You're here now, and it's a hell of a lot better than being up there. All your mother and I ever wanted was for you to be safe. And you're safe here."

Sam didn't know just how sure her father was about the dangers that lay on the surface and she had a want to know more but felt that it would be a strange question. Instead she looked up, past her father at the framed quote on the wall. She had heard James' voice say it a thousand times.

"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. Revelation 21:6"

As she thought of these words a new question came into her mind. "Hey dad... can we talk about, you know... mom?"

The question caught James slightly by surprise. "Your mother?... She... she was beautiful. But beyond beauty you've seen... there's just only so much those old photographs can show." James went silent for a moment. "She was passionate... about life, about love. But most of all... most of all she was passionate about you. When she became pregnant, it was the happiest I had ever seen her. Ah... she had great things in mind for you."

Sam smiled as her dad talked about her mother.

"So it's time to stop stalling and take the exam. Please, honey, please take these achievement tests seriously. The last thing I need is for your mother's ghost to start haunting me because her only daughter became a, a garbage burner or something."

Sam felt a small pang in her chest, yet she nodded. "Bye, dad."

"Good luck, sweetie."

As she left the office she noticed a bobblehead on her dad's des. It was a vault boy, and it was holding a large syringe. It had text on it. It read, "The smart man knows bandages only hide his wounds." Sam smiled and placed the bobblehead back on the desk. She left thinking about just how true the statement was.

As she was exciting her father's clinic, she noticed that Jonas was helping Stanley. "Hope you start to feel better, Stan!" Sam called as she opened the door. Stanley yelled a thanks and then went in to a coughing fit.

Sam walked down the metal hallways towards the classroom. On the way she said a quick hello to officer Gomez who was on rounds and Andy who was patching up a circuit board.

As she started to near the classroom, she noticed Amata. Over the past three years Amata had really thinned out and was now a pretty sixteen year old Hispanic girl. She had pretty features and long dark hair that was currently tied into a ponytail. She also noticed Butch and his two cronies, Wally and Paul. While six years ago Butch had been a simple bully, nowadays he and the others went around the vault calling themselves the tunnel snakes. They all wore signature leather jackets with a logo on the back. They wore these jackets over their vault jumpsuits.

The three of them were surrounding Amata, who was protesting against their actions, and making very lewd comments. Butch go really close and leaned against the wall saying, " I could show you a real tunnel snake, Amata."

Sam felt her cheeks flush red as the anger inside her started to seep out, yet she kept her cool. She approached the group and said. "Hey, Butch."

Butch turned toward Sam. His slick and very oily hair was shining under the vault's fluorescent lights. He stayed leaning against the wall and said in a very cocky voice, "Yeah, the hell do you want."

"What's going on here?" Sam asked.

"That's none of your business kid. Why don't you get out of here before you get hurt?" Butch looked over at Wally and Paul. They were both showing off their muscles, trying to be intimidating. Sam did not stop though, she was sure she knew how to handle a situation like this.

"If you mess with the Tunnel Snakes, you're asking for trouble, and it's not the kind of trouble you want. Got that?" Butch said in a casual tone as he continued to lean against the wall.

Sam moved so that she was right in front of Butch's face. She spoke in a defining yet quiet voice to make sure that Butch would listen. "If you don't leave Amata alone, right now, the Overseer is going to come down on your gang. We'll see to it personally."

Sam looked over to Amata, who was looking back at her with wide eyes. She had always been the one who was more afraid of Butch and she obviously thought that Butch might attack them for threatening him so easily.

However, Sam knew better. She knew that butch was an utter coward who only pretended to be strong. She knew that he was a momma's boy who would threaten and intimidate but would sprint at the first sight of danger. He was a dog, all bark and no bight. Sam could see the little actions that he did. How he slightly quivered when Sam got close, how he flinched at her threats, and she saw how he was nearly trembling right now as Sam stared him down.

After a few moments, he said, "maybe you're tight." He stood up off the wall. "C'mon tunnel snakes, this little bitch isn't worth our time." Wally and Paul reluctantly followed butch in to the classroom. Then it was only Sam and Amata in the hallway. Amata breathed a sigh as relief spread through her body. "Thank god that's over…," she muttered quietly, though Sam could still hear her.

Sam looked at her. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine. They didn't touch me at all," Amata said. Sam nodded and looked at Amata who was talking again, "listen… thanks for getting rid of those Assholes.

"It was no problem. Butch is all talk. He can threaten all he likes but when it comes down to it, he is afraid to fight. Especially me, because he knows I can kick his ass." Sam said, with just a bit of arrogance.

"Modest much?" Amata asked.

"Obviously not, that's why I was bragging." Sam said back.

Amata laughed. "Thanks again. I don't know why they won't leave me alone. Just because my father is the Overseer, I guess? Idiots."

Sam silently agreed with her and the two of them walked into the classroom.

Mr. Brotch was telling everybody to settle down and after Sam had sat down in her sat at the front of the class Mr. Brotch went around and passed out the test papers.

Sam looked down at the test. Question one was very strange and as she tried to understand how this was supposed to test her abilities she read the question under her breath, "You are approached by a frenzied Vault scientist, who yells, 'I'm going to put my quantum harmonizer in your photonic resonation chamber!' What's your response?" Sam took a few more moments to reread the questions a couple times. She finally decided that she was just going to answer randomly. She quickly filled in all the questions except for the last, which she read. "Who is indisputably the most important person in Vault 101: He who shelters us from the harshness of the atomic wasteland, and to whom we owe everything we have, including our lives?" Every single one of the answer choices said, "The Overseer," Sam feeling a bit rebellious scratched a fifth choice in and wrote, "Your mother." Feeling pleased with herself she sat and waited for everybody else to finish up.

After what felt like an hour, Mr. Brotch called for everyone to finish up and turn in their tests. Sam deciding that she wanted to have a private word with Mr. Brotch went to the back of the line and listened to the others results. Sam was glad to hear that Amata got into the supervisory track, which she thought was a job that fit Amata rather well. She was also quite amused when Butch received the job of hairdresser, he said that Mr. Brotch was a liar and stormed out of the room. She half-heartedly listened to what everyone else got but in full honestly she really didn't care.

Finally, she was the last person in the room she walked up to Mr. Brotch's desk. Before she knew what she was doing she was yelling, "You call that a test, that was a joke. How can anyone in this vault believe that that was actually a fitting way to decide a person's future occupation? Those questions had no way of testing a person's qualities and attributes. Only a joke of a teacher would think that that was worthy of any attention. That's what you are. You are a joke. Do you honestly think that stupid pool of unneeded, useless, unrealistic questions should be called a test? You are a teacher, so why don't you teach."

Mr. Brotch looked stunned, "I am a teacher and I do teach," he said in a deep and slightly dangerous voice but then his tone softened as he said, "And I do agree with you Mrs. Neilson. The test is a complete joke and I don't like to use it. Unfortunately, the Overseer believes that it is the best option."

Sam looked even more furious, "THE OVERSEER, are you really going to let the Overseer control what you teach. You make me sick, why don't you stand up to him. I guess you're just like everyone else down here. You are a helpless little lapdog for the Overseer. Why don't you try having some guts, why don't you be a man Edwin?"

"It's not that easy Samantha. The Overseer is in charge of everything in the vault. There is no way to overrule him, there is no way to stand up to him, and you just have to go along it unless you want to be convicted of treason." Sam was going to yell some more but Mr. Brotch interrupted her, "Sam, I can understand why you would be mad. I often had thoughts similar to yours when I was your age but you have to understand that it is useless. There is no way to win a fight with him."

"That's how I'm different then you Edwin. You gave up I will never give up. Not until I stop him from hurting the people of the vault."

"I have no doubt that you will do just that and to help you do that I'm going to ask you a question. If you truly believe the G.O.A.T. is useless, then tell me Sam. What do you want to be?" Edwin asked.

Sam stared at him with a disbelieving look, "you would really let me do that, and you would really let me choose."

"Of course I would, you always have been my favorite student." Edwin said.

"I can't believe this, thank you." Sam said

"Your welcome, but you only get this choice once so choose wisely." Edwin said with a smile.

"I want to be something where I can work with my dad. I'm skilled with medicine but I also like to talk with the patients that come in. I also like to talk to Stanley about mechanics and computers. Then of course there's always my wonderful cooking." She said the last part with a smile.

Mr. Brotch was smiling too, "I'll see what I can do. Good day and good luck Sam and be careful and remember what they say."

"What do they say?" Sam asked

Mr. Brotch looked at her and once again smiled. "_Future imperfect_."

**A.N. There it is, everybody. I hope you all enjoyed it. These vault chapters are more difficult then I thought they would be. In the game you dont really worry about it because it's you in the vault and your only in there for about an hour. In a story, it's quite different. It's not you in the vault, it's the character and they were in their for eighteen years. It makes you really think about the culture of the vault. **

**Good Bye and may you have a plesent morning/afternoon/evening/day/night.**


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